Marinette watched the TV as Damian installed a new game on the PS5. He had been excited for months once it was announced. She had been slightly interested as her gaming had taken a backseat to her career. She missed the rush from the competitive aspect of the game and it made her smile to know that no one had beaten her and Max's score from when they were in college. She was still undefeated in Ultra Mega Strike, even if UMS5 was being made.
When the screen launched, she sat down along side him. Damian had called it a ....nostalgic pass time. He never played anything like this as a kid and Jason had played it. Once he saw it, he immediately got hooked. She knew his past so the Mature label wasn't a surprise.
"So what is this game about?" Mari asked, "You've mentioned it being nostalgic and I know you don't really delve into the past."
Damian sat still.
"Damian, you can tell me." Marinette insisted.
"It's a bit....nostalgic in the sense of my time with mother." He admitted, "I don't fight like I use to. I remain in control at all times, so I don't injure others beyond repair. Mother taught me many things and Father has insisted that I don't do certain things. There are some things I miss from my time with her and others I don't."
Marinette placed her hand over his and smiled.
"Let me explain the game so you understand better." Damian spoke, "This is a fighting game with blood and gore. With certain button combinations, you can deal a lot of damage and it is shown on the screen in an X-Ray format. It will show the bones breaking or some intestines. This game is known for brutal deaths. You can play the story or fight the computer or other people."
"It's a two player game?" Mari asked.
"It can be." Damian explained, "We could even play together."
"Can we?" Marinette questioned, excitedly.
After ten losses in a row, Marinette sat on the couch pouting.
"You just have to get use the controls, Angel." Damian smiled, "There's tutorials for each characters. You can play on your own time and we can have a rematch later. Does that sound good?"
Marinette nodded. She knew he was trying to be polite, but he also wanted to enjoy the game himself.
"How about I head to the store and make that curry you like?" She smiled.
"With naan?" he questioned immediately.
Marinette giggled, "We still have the ingredients here for me to make more."
"You're the best, Angel." Damian said as he leaned over and kissed her.
'I'll play later and I'll make sure to go over the tutorial when I do.'
Damian yawned as he got up to make coffee. He rolled over and saw Marinette was missing from her space in bed. Damian quickly shot up and opened the door to see her playing Mortal Kombat 1.
"Oh, good morning, Habibi." Marinette smiled.
He sighed in relief, "Good morning, Habibiti."
"Can we play one more time before you go to work?" She asked.
Damian chuckled but agreed. It wouldn't take long for him to defeat her, make some coffee and change before he had to leave.
Damian stared at the screen in shock as Marinette's Kitana used her Royal Blender fatality on his Scorpion.
Marinette leaned over, kissed her boyfriend and whispered, "You forget I like to win, too."
"Rematch." Damian demanded.
"A-Actually, I stayed up all night to learn the combos." Marinette admitted, "Surprise?"
'Was I that out of it that I never noticed her come to bed?'
"Bed now and we can have a rematch after dinner?" Damian suggested, "I have to head to the office, but I'll grab some pasta on the way home. I'll call you during lunch so you can get up and start your work."
Marinette giggled. She knew once she admitted what she had done, her boyfriend's over-protective side would come out.
"Okay." she answered.
Damian picked up his girlfriend and carried her back to their room. He looked down to see Mari already yawning and getting comfy in his arms.
'Damn. If only there wasn't that insufferable meeting to go to.'
Once he placed her in the bed, she grabbed his pillow and quickly fell asleep. Damian sighed and made sure to close the door behind him.
'I should have known better than to challenge her. She gets so competitive. There's no way I'm telling her about the competitive tournaments.'
The time counts down in the No Rope Barbed Wire Current Blast Super Large Time Bomb Death Match, as Atushi Onita attempts to shield Terry Funk from the impending explosion at FMW’s Genten.
Hi there! My pleasure! Kallus has just been tossed into the slave gladiator pits and left to the mercy of prisoners there. Most of whom have very large bones to pick with high ranking imps. One of whom is our sweet giant Garazeb ♥️
—
“Quit wriggling’-!” The trandoshan behind him hit him hard in the back of the head. The room span immediately. Kallus was going to be sick, but he couldn’t retch with the fist back in his hair. Someone grabbed his chin. He gnashed at them desperately.
A loud, guttural roar cut across the wet brick arches of training room. It made all the hairs on Kallus’ body stand sharply on end, but finally the devaronian was focussed on something other than him. Something, Kallus worried, potentially much worse.
“This is no business of yours, Shran’ashran. Keep movin’,” Trod declared to the new threat. His voice was reedy with nerves.
It was a deep, sure answer he received in turn. “I’ve come for the Imp, Mathar.”
A tense silence descended. With his head still pulled back, all Kallus could see was a large, dark shape. Not human, certainly.
Mathar flicked the blade in his hand and took a few steps away from Kallus. It would be enough, perhaps, to gain the upper hand in the upheaval this Shran’ashran had brought. He took deep, measured breaths. An opening would come, and Kallus would be ready.
“Finders, keepers. I made a deal for this one. Pit rules mean he’s mine.” Mathar’s tone was light but the serious, hard line beneath it was unmistakable. Shran’ashran didn’t seem to care.
“Pit rules mean banthashit when you’re dead,” he shrugged.
“Are you threatening me, Shran’ashran?”
Heavy footsteps approached. Kallus could only just make out the tips of purple ears, but it was enough. All the blood in him went cold. A lasat. He’d be better off as a toy for Mathar, better off limbless and tossed in the fire pits of Mustafar, than handed over to a lasat fighter.
“Yeah,” the lasat rumbled. “I am. And we all remember what happened last time I made good on a threat, don’t we?”
This was inspired by a lot of the tournaments in @competition-list including @transfemswagbracket @nonbiney-swag-competition @best-fnaf-character @autismswagsummit @robot-swag-competition @mad-scientist-showdown @adhdswagcompetition as well as the OC tournament done by @oc-cinematic-universe! I have over 600 of these guys, so it's finally time to figure out who the OC of all time is!
You do not need to know who they are to vote!
Their brackets will include a brief bio (one sentence), a link to their Toyhouse page, and an image! But also you can just vote on vibes, anything works! I just want to have a good time!
This post will be updated with each bracket and an updated bracket illustration each time! Polls will run for one week, and for this first round Part A and Part B will go up on Saturday and Sunday respectively! I hope we can all have a good time!
EDIT: I wanted to add more of the tournament blogs that inspired this since they're all excellent people and y'all should go vote in their tournaments as well!
Round 1A
Miranda (Carnival Casino) VS. George (Murder Mystery)
2. Cabriel (Love Gods) VS. Rouge (Bakeries)
3. Amadeus (Fantasy Story) VS. Freeze Frame (Villain Squad)
4. Nina (Whisper Court) VS. Kalliope (The Hallowed)
5. Phyllis (Villain School) VS. Adelaide (Locked Love)
6. Jinx (The Hallowed) VS. Cinna (The Hallowed)
7. Kisaragi (Whisper Court) VS. Ariyana (Angel Wings)
8. Angel (Angel Wings) VS. Zyaire (The Hallowed)
9. Wally (Villain School) VS. Mikal (Whisper Court)
10. Cordelia (Fantasy Story) VS. Catt (The Hallowed)
11. Xena (Fantasy Story) VS. Maple (Villain School)
12. Emmit (The Hallowed) VS. Abbey (Locked Love)
13. Wally (Whisper Court) VS. Glimmer (Red Signal)
14. Lorelai (Whisper Court) VS. Lily (Monster DND)
15. Willow Whisp (Whisper Court) VS. Ephraim (The Hallowed)
16. Lyra (Carnival Casino) VS. Castor (Love Gods)
Round 1B
Aurelius (Angel Wings) VS. Veridan (Whisper Court)
2. Ringmaster (Fantasy Story) VS. Darciel (Love Gods)
3. Wally (Locked Love) VS. Dusty+Coco (DND PC)
4. Johon (Whisper Court) VS. Velvet (Bakeries)
5. Khalida (Villain School) VS. Cinnamon (Murder Mystery)
6. Rose (Whisper Court) VS. Charlie (Villain School)
7. Mei/Yue/Eyumie (The Hallowed) VS. Phospher (Tech Story)
8. Irene (The Hallowed) VS. Hijack (Villain Squad)
9. Scarlet (Bakeries) VS. Evelyn (The Hallowed)
10. Ismet (The Hallowed) VS. Daisy (Daisies And Demons)
11. Finch (Whisper Court) VS. Kastra (Kastra-Verse)
12. Wally (The Hallowed) VS. Karma (Fantasy Story)
13. Blackjack (Fantasy Story) VS. Tripp (The Hallowed)
14. Meri (Locked Love) VS. Alice (Carnival Casino)
15. Lilith (Locked Love) VS. Cardamon (Fantasy Story)
16. Bella (Angel Wings) VS. Meredith/Nightingale (Artistic Licensing)
WOW. REALLY DECIMATING THE GROUP HERE. HOLY SHIT
Round 2
Miranda (Carnival Casino) VS. Rouge (Bakeries)
2. Amadeus (Fantasy Story) VS. Kalliope (The Hallowed)
3. Phyllis (Villain School) VS. Cinna (The Hallowed)
4. Kisaragi (Whisper Court) VS. Zyaire (The Hallowed)
5. Mikal (Whisper Court) VS. Cordelia (Fantasy Story)
6. Xena (Fantasy Story) VS. Emmit (The Hallowed)
7. Glimmer (Red Signal) VS. Lorelai (Whisper Court)
8. Willow Whisp (Whisper Court) VS. Castor (Love Gods)
9. Aurelius (Angel Wings) VS. Ringmaster (Fantasy Story)
10. Dusty + Coco (DND PC) VS. Velvet (Bakeries)
11. Cinnamon (Murder Mystery) VS. Rose (Whisper Court)
12. Mei/Yue/Eyumie (The Hallowed) VS. Irene (The Hallowed)
13. Evelyn (The Hallowed) VS. Ismet (The Hallowed)
14. Finch (Whisper Court) VS. Karma (Fantasy Story)
15. Blackjack (Fantasy Story) VS. Alice (Carnival Casino)
16. Cardamon (Fantasy Story) VS. Meredith/Nightingale (Artistic Licensing)
The rounds last time were SUPER CLOSE I am getting SCARED
Round 3
Miranda (Carnival Casino) VS. Amadeus Kama (Fantasy Story)
2. Cinna Hallowell (The Hallowed) VS. Kisaragi (Whisper Court)
3. Cordelia (Fantasy Story) VS. Xena (Fantasy Story)
4. Lorelai (Whisper Court) VS. Castor (Love Gods)
5. The Ringmaster (Fantasy Story) VS. Dusty + Coco (DND PC)
6. Cinnamon (Murder Mystery) VS. Irene (The Hallowed)
7. Evelyn Soleil (The Hallowed) VS. Finch (Whisper Court)
8. Blackjack (Fantasy Story) VS. Cardamon Suite (Fantasy Story)
A fun one day project today in AMD - pixilation animation. Our team of six worked great together suggesting ideas, coming to a consensus, creating props, acting, directing and photography.